Suryakumar is ideal at No. 3 in T20 WC: Manjrekar

Mumbai, Jul 09 (PTI): Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar says since skipper Virat Kohli is likely to open with Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav is an ideal candidate for the number three slot.
Kohli and Rohit Sharma had opened for the first time in the fifth match of the home T20 series against England in March this year, raising a 94-run partnership.
They had also opened together way back in 2014 against New Zealand.
Manjrekar also felt that Suryakumar Yadav could be the front-runner for the number three spot, which otherwise belongs skipper Kohli. “Yes, I think he (Surya) is one of the front-runners, especially with the news coming out that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are going to be India’s openers. There could be a number three slot open for me,” Manjrekar said during a virtual interaction.
“I don’t know what plan they have with (KL) Rahul, there certainly is a place for someone like Suryakumar Yadav. I have rarely seen somebody bat like that in the IPL for the whole season and even more, the kind of batsmanship we have seen.
“And makes him an ideal number three, he can hit good balls for fours, certainly one of the options,” he added. The T20 World Cup has been moved to UAE and Oman from India. The event scheduled to begin from October 17.
Talking about the upcoming series agianst Sri Lanka, starting July 13, Manjrekar said he would prefer a more consistent Ishan Kishan instead of Sanju Samson.
Manjrekar says the skills behind the wickets hold more significance in Test cricket, so in white-ball formats having a quality batsman is a much better option.
“Ishan Kishan is my choice, purely because I am going for the more consistent batter. In ODI cricket keeping is not as crucial as it is in Test matches, in T20s it is not that vital, so you are really making a choice of a better batter,” Manjrekar said.